One More Match
by Im-AcErBiC
Summary: Trish Stratus is asked to compete one more time, in a mixed tag team match. Who is her partner? Why did he ask for her personally? Oneshot, slightly AU.


**One More Match**

**A/N:** I really don't have a clue when or why I began to like this pairing. I think my love for it has always been there lol. It's just so different. I'm probably the only person on the planet who likes it, but oh well. There's not really any mushy stuff in this, so it's not too unrealistic. It's not one of those 'Geez, I've been in love with you forever! Let's make out!' fics, so don't worry. A fluff warning will not be needed. Oh yah, and the reasons for Trish's retirement are completely false in this fic, so don't think any of it really happened. The real reason she retired was because she was getting married. BTW, her husband doesn't exist in my story.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything pertaining to the WWE.

**Summary:** Trish Stratus is asked to compete one more time, in a mixed tag team match. Who is her partner? Why did he ask for her personally? One-shot, slightly AU.

!#$&()+

"Oh!" Trish Stratus exclaimed, from her black leather sofa. She was taking a stroll down memory lane, _again_, immersing herself in wrestling tapes and DVD's galore. She had recently retired, and she did have a good reason, but she often found herself wondering what would have happened if she'd stayed.

See, she'd retired in September, the year before. She and Vince McMahon'd had a falling out about a month before, so she'd given him her notice. She remembered the argument like it had happened just yesterday.

They were just bickering back and forth about Vince's 'creative' decisions driving the WWE into a black hole. That was Trish's opinion. She knew the fans were tired of seeing the same matches and fueds every week. When she'd voiced this concern, Vince had gone berserk. He'd said some things about Trish thinking she knew everything and that she she didn't run things.

And he was partly correct. Trish didn't make the decisions. But she did know one thing. If Vince continued on his chosen path, he'd run the company she loved into the ground.

And Trish told him this. Vince said if that was the way she felt, then he didn't need her there. That was when Trish fired back. She said fine, he could set her last match for Unforgiven, in her home town of Toronto, Canada. And that was that.

And she swore to herself she wouldn't even think of the WWE, after her retirement. And now, here she was, sitting on her sofa eating ice cream, watching Wrestlemania 17. She was crying, watching the historical event. She always cried before each Wrestlemania she was in. Her friend the Rock told her it was just her way of getting out her nerves. 'Crying out the nerves' he called it.

The reason she was crying now was because she missed the wrestling business and everyone in it. Well, maybe excluding Vince.

Trish reached for a tissue, and heard her telephone ring. She wiped off her old Stratusfaction babydoll t-shirt which she had just fished out of the closet that day, and headed for the kitchen, where her phone was located.

"Hello?" She said, trying to shake the crying out of her voice.

"Hi Trish," said the voice.

"Vince?" She gasped, more shocked than angry.

"Yep, it's me," The chairman answered her.

"Why are you calling me?" Trish asked her former boss, genuinely interested.

"Well, I need a favor," Vince said, swallowing his pride. This did not amuse Trish.

"Of course you do," Trish muttered under her breath.

"At Backlash, I'd like you to compete in one more match," Vince mumbled, sounding hopeful.

"No way. I'm retired, remember?" Trish said, secretly and desperately wanting to be in the match.

"Well, it wasn't my idea," Vince said. This came as a surprise to Trish.

"Well, who's was it?" Trish asked, half annoyed and half intrigued.

"He asked me not to say. He wants to plead his case in person," Vince replied.

"He? You expect me to compete at Backlash in a one-on-one Intergender match?" Trish asked, bewildered.

"No. The man who asked for you wants you to be his partner in a mixed tag team match," Vince corrected her.

"Well, who is it? And why did he ask for me personally?" Trish questioned him.

"I can't say who it is. And I don't know why he asked for you. He might explain if you'd see him in person," Vince said.

Trish considered for a moment. She was incredibly tempted to take the offer. Finally, after a few moments of pondering the right decision, she came up with something.

"I'm not sure about the match. But, I'll meet this guy in person. I'll decide later if I want to completely abandon my morals for him," Trish said sarcastically.

"Fine. He'll be at your house in about an hour," Vince said with a sigh, hanging up the phone without a proper goodbye. Trish groaned, perturbed. She hadn't expected the meeting to be quite so soon. And she had no clue who this man was. It could be someone she'd known for years, or it could be someone she'd never met. She shrieked, realizing she looked like a mess.

She hurried upstairs in a flurry to wash her hair and blowdry it. She settled on pair of camoflauge cargo pants and a creme colored tank top that stopped just above her navel. Trish loved showing off her stomach, which was a fact everyone who knew her was well aware of.

Soon enough, she heard her doorbell ring. Trish resisted the urge to 'cry out her nerves' and shuffled downstairs to open the door. She really didn't know what to expect, but what she saw on the other side of the door was about the last person she'd ever expected to see.

It was the Big Red Machine, Kane! Trish didn't bother to hide her surprise. Her mouth was wide open and her eyes were like saucers. She simply gaped at him for a few seconds, before realizing she'd kept him standing there. She stepped aside so he could enter her home. She didn't realize it, but he was blown away by her appearance.

"Hi Trish. Long time no see," Kane said, as if they were best friends. Meanwhile, Trish was still gaping.

"Um, yeah. Kane," Trish stammered.

"I know. You probably weren't expecting me," Kane told the beautiful blonde.

"That's an understatement if I've ever heard one," she said with a nervous chuckle.

"Okay, I'm gonna cut the 'nice' act. We both know that's not how I am," Kane said, ignoring her comment. Trish was taken aback by his sudden attitude change. It made her angry for some reason.

"Fine, I'll cut the nice act, too. What do you want _me_, for?" Trish asked him, crossing her arms.

"That's a good question. However, the answer is not so simple," Kane replied. He led her into the living room to explain his situation further.

"I don't know if you've been watching Smackdown! lately, but Mark Henry is not exactly on my good side. He thinks he can call himself a monster and get away with it. He and I had a singles match set for Backlash, but he's enlisted the help of someone else. All I wanted was a one-on-one match, but Vince had other plans," Kane explained, obviously angered.

"Wait. Vince told me the mixed tag match was your idea," Trish replied, puzzled.

"He lied," Kane said sourly, with a sigh. Trish clenched her fists, ready to tear Vince's head off. Of course Vince wasn't going to be straight up with her. Trish should've known that much. She muttered something along the lines of 'no good bastard' under her breath.

"So, who's helping Henry?" Trish asked, momentarily forgetting her bitterness.

"Someone we both know quite well. Somehow, he got Lita to come back for the match," Kane said, a twinge of regret at the name 'Lita'. Trish suddenly felt her heart get heavy for Kane's onset of anguish. She knew all too well what had happened between Kane and Lita. She suddenly found a blast of motivation to have this match. She just had one question.

"But, why me? You could've picked anyone else. Why did you call me out of retirement?" Trish asked, genuinely interested in Kane's answer. Trish couldn't believe it. Kane actually seemed speechless. She couldn't recall a time when the Big Red Machine was at a loss for words.

"Well, you and Lita had quite a rivalry in the past. And I don't remember a time where she beat you without nearly taking herself out," Kane said quickly, as if he'd dug it out of nowhere. Trish was actually quite flattered at his comment, but she sensed him seeking her help was for a different reason entirely. But still, she wondered if Kane had seen all of her matches with Lita.

"Well. I guess I'll see you at Backlash," Trish said slowly, smiling.

"Really?" Kane asked, surprised and yet completely serene.

"Well, yeah. But I'm not promising a good outcome. I'm a little rusty," Trish said with a giggle.

"I'm sure you're not completely hopeless. But still, I didn't think persuading you would be that easy," Kane said, standing up.

"You're the first man to say that, I think," Trish said in a joking manner. She couldn't believe what was happening. She was actually having a pleasant conversation with Kane. And, was he smiling at her? No, it couldn't be.

"Well, I'd better get going. See you at Backlash," Kane replied, exiting the way he came. As Trish closed the door behind him, she pressed her back against the door. She just felt the urge to laugh, and it overtook her. The reason? She wasn't quite sure. Perhaps it was the completely ironic situation she was in, or maybe she was thinking about how Backlash would go. She pictured her and Kane as tag team partners, and she had never seen anything so odd.

Meanwhile, Kane was still standing outside, gaping at Trish's front door. He couldn't believe she'd said yes.

"I'll just have to remember not to ruin it by telling her the real reason I chose her," he told himself, taking in the scenario he was in for one last quick second, before finally taking his leave. Backlash would certainly be interesting and entertaining.

**A/N:** Hmmm, was that good? Or bad? I need to know. And you have the power to tell me! -breaks into the course of 'I've got the power!' replacing 'I' with 'you'- Jokes aside, this was meant to be a one-shot, but maybe I'll continue if you want me to.


End file.
